Debt
by Calistabelle
Summary: When she asked the sorting hat to put her in Slytherin it had been a joke. It soon became a whole lot more than that. Lily/Scorpius Rated T for language and suggested violence and death.
1. Chapter 1: Lily

_A/N Ahhhhhh! Plot bunnies rule my mind! This is in NO WAY linked to my on-going fic, _Serpent's Tongue_, it's just what I would have imagined happening if Lily had been put in Slytherin, which I can totally see happening. Um, yeah, the next chapter for that will be up soon, but first this! Two-parter that will be uploaded together. Oh and I own nothing except the plotline and the character of Gregor Haideish. Enjoy!_

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When I asked the sorting hat to put me in Slytherin it had been a joke.

All my family, I mean all _eighteen_ of them, going back two generations, not to mention all the in-laws and friends, have been in Gryffindor. It was just so boring and unimaginative. So when the Sorting Hat was placed on my head I immediately asked it to put me in Slytherin. I could almost _feel_ it blink in surprise. If it had been a person I would have flipped them off and told them to deal with it. The Hat caught the gist of that thought and chuckled – god damn _chuckled_. Then it shouted out 'Slytherin' and I had the huge satisfaction of seeing the looks of horror across the faces of my family. Rose, Albus and James were staring at me slack-jawed and I felt a mild guilt at their promises to save me a good seat at the table. That feeling was quickly washed away at the sight of my cousin Hugo who was standing there, still waiting to be sorted. I felt the hat pulled off my head, winked at them and strolled casually, bold as you like, over to the Slytherin table, plonking myself down next to a peroxide-blonde haired boy who was looking at me with a mixture of amusement and doubt.

'Hi,' he said. 'I'm Scorpius.'

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And that's how it started. Oh, the first few weeks/months were tough, what with all the letters of shock I received from various family members, but after Uncle George sent me a letter congratulating me on finding the best possible way to irritate my family including a promise to get them to lay off me, things quietened down. I found it surprisingly easy to enjoy my time in the Slytherin house. Sure, there were prejudices, but I had gall enough to give them a piece of my mind when they confronted me about it. And being friends with Scorpius Malfoy helped, of course.

It was an accidental friendship that we formed. He was two years older than me – in my brother's year and to say the two of them hated each other was only the tiniest of understatements. So when he offered to give me a tour of the castle and its grounds I was surprised, but happily agreed. He, of course, got me as lost as it was possible for me to get – which was very – then scarpered the hell out of there. I soon found a teacher to help direct me back to the Slytherin common room where I stalked up to him and punched him very hard on the nose. It had taken me a while after that to get my fist unclenched, but when I did I was surprised to see him offer me his hand – a truce.

A few weeks later when I got into a fight with the quidditch captain, he walked in accidently. I was yelling very loudly at the ass hole, demanding to know where he found justification not to put me at least on the reserve list simply because of my family when Scorpius interrupted telling the other boy, who was at least two years older than him, that he should put me on the reserves. I would have thanked him, I really would. But I didn't because of the way he winked at the quidditch captain. They thought I was going to cock up. Boy did I show them.

The first game, against Ravenclaw, I watched peacefully from the sidelines, happy to be simply a reserve. The second game, however, I was fully prepared for. It was against Gryffindor and to say that Gregor Haideish accidentally fell down the stairs and broke three ribs the evening before would be a lie. Oh, he fell and broke the ribs alright, but unless you count my sticking my foot out to trip him up an accident, the incident was entirely on purpose – my purpose, to be exact. So, reluctantly, I was pulled forward to play the game… not that I was let on without a couple of death threats if we lost, of course. When I managed to score seven consecutive goals, totally whipping the Gryffindor's asses and got to see the faces of my fellow house mates it was totally worth the detention I received later when they discovered whose fault Haideish's 'accident' was.

It was at this time I started earning myself some 'friends' in my house. A couple of the girls had taken it upon themselves to be my new best friends and it made Hugo laugh out loud when I called them my 'minions'. There were, of course, a couple of boys who got it in their head that I would be their new muse. I never accepted their addresses and told them to either shove off or befriend me. Most of them shoved off, though a couple stuck around and it was actually nice to be able to make friends with them. After a year at Hogwarts in which I not only excelled in my school subjects, but also managed to win the quidditch cup for the first time since my dad's time at school for my house I finally felt at home in Slytherin. Which was, really, an accomplishment in itself.

At the beginning of the second year I gained myself a shadow; a boy by the name of Jadon Freeman. He was the year above me and, I soon discovered, completely infatuated by me. As was my norm, I told him to quit with the love-bird stuff. He didn't. It was hardly my fault that after three months of enduring his drooling I got totally fed up and punched him in the mouth. It got the response I wanted, he backed off. And I thought that was that – until I got hit in the back by the expelliarmus curse by said jerk. A fight ensued that was, on my side at least, magic-free. I managed to give him a broken nose and a black eye by the time he managed to get the upper hand, at which point Scorpius Malfoy stepped in and hexed the idiot. I thanked my saviour briefly then joined my group of friends, thinking nothing more of it.

I don't know what Scorpius' impression of me was; I barely ever saw him except at matches or in the common room. But I know his view changed considerably when I caught him fighting with a seventh-year Gryffindor. Who the other was or what had started the fight was of little consequence; it didn't take me longer than a millisecond to rally up with Scorpius against the seventh year. The other shouted incredulously at me for a moment before I hit him with a silencio curse. He tried to continue fighting us, but between the two of us Scorpius and I soon had him tied up and locked up in a closet in a secluded area of the school.

'Why'd you do it?' he asked of me when we were done, a strange look in his eye.

'I'm a Potter, but I'm still a Slytherin,' I replied.

From that day forward we acknowledged each other in the corridors with a nod or a smile and when we retold our tale of the fight we had the whole common room snickering at our victory. The teachers never did find out who it was; the Gryffindor was too proud to admit he had been defeated by a second year and a fourth year – and Slytherins at that! Which just had myself and Scorpius laughing ever harder behind our hands.

My third year was an interesting one. I was asked out by one of the Slytherin boys who had become my friend recently and I found no reason why not. He was an alright kind of guy and although he still had quite the stereotypical of a Slytherin – purebloods are better and all that crap – he did his best not to sound too prejudiced around me. I called him on it a couple of times and he apologised a couple more times and we ended up dating exclusively. We had kissed a couple of times, but one time, when I stayed late after charms class to collect the pages of my book that had accidentally been scattered during the lesson he had walked in to check I was alright and we ended up making out for what would have been an inappropriately long time, had not Scorpius barged in on us.

He'd turned a beet red and stuttered something that might have been an apology, if you could actually call the sounds coming out of his mouth words. Then he'd given my boyfriend a good long glare before walking out and slammed the door on us. It had totally spoilt the mood and turned my date into an over-protective jerk, until I dumped him a week later, much to his chagrin. Scorpius, who had been in the common room when my nerve finally gave out, watched our fight with interest. When I rounded on him after I was done with the other boy, he'd merely put his hands casually in the air and said it wasn't _his_ fault I couldn't pick a decent boyfriend. I gave him a good kick in the shins and stormed out.

Not long after that I was asked out by Gregor Haideish, the guy I'd tripped up to get my spot on the quidditch team. I was surprised by his offer, but I'd known him quite well for the past three years and knew him to be a decent guy. He was only a year older than me so I agreed, winning one of his precious smiles. Over the next couple of months I became good at that – making him smile. It was not that Gregor was a particularly sad person, he just didn't smile much. Unfortunately, that was about all we were good at together; making each other laugh and playing quidditch, so the relationship was broken off mutually.

But throughout the entire time I was with Gregor, Scorpius seemed to be just around every bend – much the same as my elder brothers and both of my cousins. It irritated the hell out of me, but I didn't say anything until the end of the school year when he told me that I wasn't good enough for him.

'Good enough for who?' I had shot back, angry that this time at least he didn't have a reason to be worrying.

'Craig,' he replied in an 'um, duh!' tone.

I didn't even bother explaining to him that Craig, a Ravenclaw who I'd befriended during our shared Herbology lessons, was gay. I was too interested in hearing what he had to say. He waited a moment, obviously expecting some kind of response, but when I didn't give one, launched himself into a long, looooong speech about how all the guys I date are morons and that I was being a fool letting them kiss me and all sorts of boring crap that I'd already been given by everyone in my family at some point that year. He was just starting to get to the 'reputation you don't want' bit when my temper got the better of me.

'If no one's good enough for me, then why the hell don't _you_ ask me out?' I screeched before turning tail and storming up to my dorm.

I didn't see Scorpius until after the summer holidays and we, both of us, pretended that our last meeting hadn't happened. Our friendship was now comfortable enough for us to spend long periods of silence together, or chatting familiarly. However, it never escaped my notice how Scorpius never had a girlfriend. He was in his sixth year at this point; he was good looking and popular and had plenty to choose from and I grew concerned about him. One weekend during one of our strolls around the castle I confronted him about it. He had looked at me in a confused, hopeless fashion and ran a hand through his hair.

'I'm in love, Lil,' he said after a moments' consideration.

'Oh.' His words had sent an unexpected tremor up my spine and it took some considerable effort for me to talk through my suddenly constricted throat. 'Well she's a lucky girl then.'

'She doesn't know,' he said.

I bit down hard on my lip before forcing myself to say; 'you better tell her before it's too late.'

'Lily?' he asked gently, grabbing my hand and turning me to face him. I looked at him, hoping that he couldn't see the sting of tears in my eyes. Then he kissed me.

Mind blowing.

It was only a gentle brush of his lips against mine, but it sent my mind reeling to places it never wanted to get back from. When I eventually pulled enough pieces together to operate my voice box all I was able to utter was a, 'bu…'

'I love you, Lily,' he said. I expected to see his familiar smirk, but all I could perceive was solemnity and that same emotion that I'd seen in his eyes from the moment we'd fought together against the Gryffindor two years ago. I only now recognised it as love. So I grinned, wrapped my arms about his neck and said, 'about time too,' and kissed him.

At first we were going to try and keep it secret- but that went belly-up almost as soon as we walked into the common room together, later that day. How we managed to forget we were holding hands, I don't know. The wolf whistles and cat calls had me blushing for the first time in ages, but Scorpius only tugged me closer to his side and wrapped a protective arm around my waist. Someone yelled out a teasing remark, that had Scorpius sticking two brazen fingers in the air and we laughed. That day was one of the best.

The next week was worse than my first week in the Slytherin house. I received four howlers, from my grandparents, my mum, my dad and, oddly, my Uncle Percy. The joint letter I got from my Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione was funny, though. I read it aloud to the Breakfast table – my Aunt, being who she was, was all for the relationship, just giving me the usual warnings that any concerned guardian gives. My Uncle on the other hand, was less than accepting, saying some very rude things about the Malfoy family, which had me in tears of laughter by the end of it. Scorpius was less amused, but I punched him playfully on the shoulder and warned him that my family would be watching like hawks, so he better not put a toe out of line.

It took longer for his parents to realise what was going on. They did not send him any howlers, merely a small letter that he read in private and didn't tell anyone what it said. For a few days after this he was morosely quiet, but goodwill and a willing smile on my part soon pulled him back to a happier-than-normal cheerfulness that belongs to first love. I received a letter akin to his about a month after we'd first kissed. It was written in long, elegant hand that was unquestionably female.

_Dear Miss Potter_

_It has come to my attention that you and my son are somewhat of an item. I realise that this is probably just a school students crush, but you seem to somewhat alleviate the brooding mood my son carries about him. Although I must warn you that his father – my husband – is less than happy about your relationship, I feel the need to thank you for the good you are doing dear Scorpius. He's never been the happiest of children and it warms my heart to hear he is smiling (not smirking) so much more. So thank you, Lily._

_Regards,_

_Astoria Malfoy_

I smiled and silently agreed, hiding the letter in my pocket before Scorpius walked into the Hall and sat down next to me. I smiled brilliantly and he grinned back, probably wondering what I'd done. I kissed him and whispered in his ear. That was the first time I told him I loved him.

The second time was at the end of the year. We were back at Platform 9 ¾ and his family was glaring at my family and my family was glaring at his family. This scared me slightly, considering my family clearly outnumbered his at a ratio of about 4:1. Scorpius had got a wicked gleam in his eye and winked at me, before stepping off the train, dragging me after him. I laughed and tripped straight into his arms. He caught me and kissed me and said he loved me. And I wriggled in his arms and kissed him and said I loved him too. Our families watched our little display in surprise and shock, but eventually the tension slipped slightly and my dad shook hands with Scorpius' dad and the pair of us laughed at them before kissing goodbye and going our separate ways for the holidays.

The fifth year was bliss. Our families had settled down a bit, I had been made quidditch team captain and prefect and I spent everyday in the company of the guy I loved. We were both studying like hell for out OWLs and NEWTs respectively, but there was always a moment when we could sneak a kiss, neither of us really thinking of the future; merely revelling in the present.

Then sixth year came. Scorpius had graduated and was heading overseas to get the first part of his training as foreign advisor done. We only broke it off because we knew we had to. We both knew we wouldn't see each other for years, neither of us knowing quite how long. So on the 31st August I went to the Malfoy mansion to bid him one last goodbye. We didn't kiss, we didn't touch, we just stood looked at each other, hoping if we stood still long enough the world might stop. But it didn't and he said goodbye and left. I collapsed crying onto the floor and his mother joined me, wrapping me up in her long slender arms and whispering words of comfort in my ear.

'Why did he go?' I asked hoarsely. 'Why did he have to leave?'

But for once Astoria didn't have an answer for me. We both knew that he had taken his position to repair the damaged links between Britain and the other countries that were the result of Voldemort's reign. We both knew that though we were grief-stricken at his absence, his father – who was standing in the shadowed corner of the room, watching us – had the guilt of being one of the reasons why his son felt the need to leave. I smiled sadly at the poor man and stood shakily, thanking the Malfoys. I hugged Astoria once more, then turned to Draco and gave him a brief hug too, which needless to say surprised him. He whispered 'thank you' in my ear and when I stepped back to leave I wasn't surprised to see tears glistening in the edges of his eyes too.

I headed back to school and it didn't escape anyone's notice that I was different. I threw myself into my school work and quidditch and my friendships grew strained. Everyone worried. Over the past five years at the school I had done something incredible; I had reunited the houses of Hogwarts. There were still gentle prejudices between the houses, but it was no longer unusual to see a Gryffindor chatting to a Slytherin, to see a Ravenclaw making out with a Hufflepuff. And everyone seemed to know it was me that had done it, including the teachers. And before I had been happy to see this change, but now I looked at with indifference. How could I be happy when my heart was thousands of miles away?

The seventh year came and went. I left the school with a bang; winning the quidditch cup one last time and excelling in all my chosen subjects. I was offered several different job propositions and I smiled properly for the first time in a long time when I saw the one from St Mungos. I didn't know what I wanted to do, but healing people, making people whole again, seemed like a very attractive option. I signed up for the start of the course the morning after I returned home.

Scorpius still wasn't home by this time and according to his parents who both he and I were in regular contact with, he did not plan on returning home for at least another year. After hearing this news I decided after a long time of deep thought, to break the unspoken taboo and write to him. It took a long time for me to decide what to write but I eventually I came up with something that sounded safe and sane. I filled him in on my last two school years and my decision to become a healer. I automatically signed off, _love, Lily_ but quickly scribbled out the 'love' bit. I still loved him of course, but there was no need to tell him that. No need to make our situation worse.

Two months later I received a letter in response. I had not expected it, but it pleased me greatly. I opened it expectantly and devoured the words.

_Lily,_

_It's great to hear from you again. And I'm glad to hear you did so well in your NEWTs. My parents sometimes talk of you, but the impression I received from their letters was not quite the cheerful person you clearly are. I'm glad. They had me worried. Work here is strange to say the least, and I never know quite what to expect. I'm in Dubai at the moment and although trouble is brewing, I doubt that it will break out before I leave. My superiors tell me that our squadron will have finished its work by next spring. I hope they're right. When I return they say I'll be offered a permanent position in the ministry and I won't have to travel anymore. I don't know what to make of that. I have loved seeing the world, what wonders I could tell you about! I'd tell you now, but I'm sure you're very busy with your work and I don't want to bore you. When I return, Lily, we'll have so much to talk about._

_Love,_

_Scorpius_

_PS Mother tells me you're fast tracking the medical course – good luck with that!_

I smiled that he was still safe, but it worried me that he was in Dubai, I'd heard some terrible things about the city. I hoped that he would be home by spring, my heart picked up as I thought of seeing him again and though I frowned at his words; 'I don't want to bore you.' – how could _he_ ever bore me? – my eyes lingered a long time on that little word before his name. _Love_. Love. Was it possible that after all this time he still loved me and hadn't been swept off his feet by some beautiful Arabian girl? But no, who was I fooling? No matter what had happened between us, we were friends, always friends.

I wrote back swiftly and continued my daily routines, eagerly anticipating another letter, but none came. He wrote once more, several months later, to his parents, telling them he was still alive and kicking and asking them to apologise to me for him, that paper was difficult to find and something to write with even more so. I thanked them and smiled sadly, heading back to my apartment and my small, closed but satisfactory life as a student healer.

Spring came and brought lots with it. My oldest brother was getting married and I watched with great pride as he and his bride said their 'I do's one of my family members announced another pregnancy and I smile through it all, happy for them despite the knowing doubt that Scorpius wouldn't come. A smattering of flowers and a host of newly born animals arrived, but Scorpius didn't. When summer came I wrote to him again, regretting his not coming home and telling him about James' wedding and about my final exams, the results of which I had yet to receive. I told him I didn't expect a reply and wished him well. I sent it off only hoping he would receive it.

Cool autumn nights set in and I was given a temporary nurse status that I could uphold whilst I continued with my education towards a doctorate over the next year. The war that had been brewing in the East had finally broken out and we were seeing new wounded soldiers everyday, I only hoped that Scorpius was out of the war zone, but he had not written to his parents in a long time and when I saw them I saw the same worry I was feeling etched across their faces. We all of us dreaded receiving that perfunctory white letter sealed with black wax that announced the death of a loved one. None came. No letters from him or about him at all.

Then one night when I was working the late shift whilst studying for my scholarship a troop of about fifteen soldiers apparated into the waiting area; seven of them bleeding badly, being held up by their team mates who were all sporting wounds of their own. I rushed out and quickly called in the doctors whilst calming and sedating those who could not immediately be seen to. After the thirteen of the men had been moved into the operating theatre or a ward I looked around and was surprised to recognise one of the remaining men.

'Gregor? Gregor Haideish?' I asked hesitantly.

'Lily? Lily is it really you? I thought I recognised your ruby locks!' He cried out and he gave each other a fleeting hug before the momentary smile on his face was chased away by a frown. 'Lily… Scorpius… I don't think any of us will be seeing Scorpius again,' he said hesitantly. My stomach turned in confusion and expectant dread.

'What- what do you mean Greg?' I asked, wincing as my voice shook.

'He was promoted by default to captain of our team after our previous Captain was shot down in action. He distracted the enemy so we could disapparate the hell out of their.'

I sat down in shock. My brain refused to accept the words. No, no, Scorpius couldn't be dead. Somewhere behind the static that my mind had turned into I could hear Gregor saying he might not be dead. But what were the chances that a man who threw himself into enemy fire alone would survive. I gulped and shook, a hand fleeting across my eyes before I stood and straightened my back. I tuned to Gregor and told him he needed to be seen to. I helped him and his friend into the ward and I cleaned their wounds.

I continued as normal. I continued to work as normal, continued to study as normal and when Gregor was released from hospital I took him to see Scorpius' parents and he explained what had happened to them. I listened to the story stiffly, wanting to cry but unable to. Astoria turned her red face to me when Gregor was done and I could only smile sadly at her. It had started as a school girl crush but somewhere over the five and a half years since that first kiss I had given my heart completely and totally to Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy and it had stopped beating the moment I had heard of his death.

I was only twenty years old and everyone was telling me that I'd be able to move on. A year passed. Two years. James announced his wife's pregnancy and Albus married one of my colleagues. I received my doctorate and life continued. I moved to a nice little house in the suburbs of London that was far too big for just me. But, really, it wasn't just me. Because he was always there, standing in my peripheral vision, laughing at a joke, tidying the bed we should have shared, cleaning the dishes we should be having soapsuds fights over. Then I'd turn and the bed would still be messy and the dishes would still be waiting patiently to be done.

And, as I did every morning, I gently rub away that stray tear and tidy the bed and clean the dishes and leave for work, locking the door behind me to an empty household. And I'd work and chat with my friends and pretend to be normal before returning home late in the evening and crying myself to sleep, imagining his arms wrapping around me and his voice in my ear telling me not to be sad. Every night. Every day.

_

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Awww, poor Lily! Go clicky that button and see wut hapnz nxt! Oh, but first… tell me what you think!  
__Cal  
__xx_


	2. Chapter 2: Scorpius

_A/N This story has absolutley nothing to do with Serpent's Tongue and I own nothing except the plot line, the character of Gregor Haideish and little Ruby. Read and enjoy:_

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Scorpius watched her every movement before walking up to her and telling her what had to be said.

'Lily, next year…'

'Shh,' she whispered, pressing a finger to his lips. 'Don't talk about next year just yet, let's enjoy the here and now.'

Scorpius looked sadly around the Slytherin common room that had been his home for the past seven years, then he looked down at the perfect, red-haired beauty in his arms. 'I'm leaving,' he said.

Lily looked confusedly up at him. 'Of course you are, you can't stay any longer.'

'No, Lily, I'm leaving the country.'

'Oh,' she said and he was devastated to see the look of heart break on her face. 'For- for how long?'

'I wish I knew, Lily. But I've signed up for the foreign investigator corps so that I can repair some of the damage my family has caused.'

She choked and he couldn't help but see the tears spring to her eyes. 'Your family, Scorp, not you,' she finally said. They both knew it wasn't going to change anything.

'I have to do this, Lil,' he said.

Lily choked again and clung to him as if she was drowning and he was her only means of escape, but Scorpius felt as though he was only pulling her deeper into the suffocating waters as she sobbed against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly until the sun started to rise and the first Slytherins started to appear from the dorms. Everyone knew. Some shook their heads sadly, others just avoided looking at them. Finally, Lily straightened her back and rubbed her face, clearing it slightly. She put on a fake smile and she held his hand and they walked down to breakfast together for the last time.

The train came to take them home and Lily never let go of his hand. They stepped off and each remembered the previous year when their families had been baring their teeth at each other. Now they waited together, Draco talking awkwardly to Harry and Astoria laughing together with Ginny and Hermione. The adults all turned to see the young couple and immediately knew what had happened. Scorpius had already told them what he was going to do, apologising profusely to Lily's parents until they had begged him to stop. They knew what it would do to their daughter, but they could see what it would do to Scorpius if he didn't go.

The couple kissed one last time and separated, sad smiles for each other and their families, but the moment no one was watching they slipped from their faces. They didn't talk much over the holidays, only a couple of letters until the final day. He was leaving the day before she returned to school and Lily went, for the first time, to Scorpius' house. She greeted his mother with a friendly hug and shook hands with his father. Then she turned to Scorpius. He was travelling light, with only one spare change of clothes and no equipment save his wand and a water bottle.

The two stood staring at each other for a very long time, reliving the past couple of years from before their first kiss through the happy, laughter filled years to this point now. Lily blinked hard, trying her best not to cry before him. He reached a hand towards her, to cup her cheek in his hand, but faltered and thought better of it. His hand dropped to his side as he opened his mouth to tell her – something. But she shook her head; no.

'I know,' she said simply and he smiled gratefully and sadly and disapparated, wondering how long it would be before he'd see her again.

Scorpius apparated in the foreign apartment of the Ministry of Magic and they greeted him with a curt nod and sent him off to a team of about forty men. The captain greeted him and he stepped into the ranks, feeling the warm metal of the locket containing the photos of his loved ones against his cold, clammy skin. His mission would last a long time and as the captain spoke he realised that he might not see any of them, his mum, dad or Lily, ever again. He bit the inside of his cheek and hoped that they would, one day, forgive him.

The squadron travelled to America, Canada, India, Japan, Kenya, Italy, Egypt, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, all across the world, their path erratic, going only where they were sent. Most of the time the quarrels they found were silenced peacefully. Sometimes they had to use force. Occasionally someone died. The numbers of their squadron were dwindling slowly and it choked Scorpius up whenever he had to tell his parents another of his colleagues was dead. He wrote to his parents as frequently as possible – which wasn't very often – but he could never work up the courage to write to Lily and ask her how she was and he never received a letter from her. At least, not until two years after he had joined. The numbers of the once-forty squadron were now down to twenty five, and that was with three new recruits. But he didn't tell Lily that.

From his parents letters he thought she was worried still, but cheerfully moving on with her life. The letter she sent him would say otherwise. She wrote about her school years and her new occupation and inconsequential things, but beneath every word Scorpius could hear her shouting at him, begging to please, please just come home. When he saw that she had signed off, _love,_ he swallowed. She had scribbled it out, but he could still tell. He scolded both him and her lightly in his head. _Stupid, stupid fools._ Her image agreed with him, but clung to him like that last night at Hogwarts. Scorpius struggled to breath evenly, before writing what he hoped was en even response.

He had been in Dubai at the time and shortly after the letter had been sent off the war broke out. The squadron was meant to be out of their by then, they were peace keepers, not the peace fighters. However, as soon as the ministry heard they were reassigned and they stayed another three months at Dubai, fighting the war and loosing another eight men, including heir captain. By default Scorpius took his role and the squadron travelled once more across the world, this time to Tanzania. They stayed there for another few months where Scorpius was joined by an old 'friend' Gregor Haideish. He too had left immediately after finishing school and his squadron had been completely wiped out by a bombing two weeks before, but Gregor had opted to stay out there and had been put under Scorpius' command. Despite their previous rivalry, the men found comfort in knowing the same people back home. Scorpius received another letter from Lily, which Gregor shook his head at and turned away. Scorpius didn't write back to her; he couldn't. He'd done too much damage in her life already. He told his parents to apologise to her in his last letter home. The next day the enemy had them surrounded.

The squadron was cornered in their small mud castle for several months, slowly squandering their food and water until Scorpius could stand it no longer. He explained what he was going to do. The men shook their heads in shock and refusal.

'No, Scorpius, you can't do this!' Gregor shouted out.

'Why not exactly? Tell me, Haideish, how else do you think we're going to get out of here?'

'Don't do this.' The man shook his head, already knowing he'd lost. 'Not to the men, not to _her_.'

Scorpius didn't need to ask who Gregor meant when he said this. 'I've seen more death than anyone should see, but hopefully I've done right by her. I can't go back now, Gregor, surely you can see that?' Scorpius asked.

The men looked at their leader. His once pale skin was now light tan from too long in the sun, pockmarked with long white scars of spells and bullets and knives. His hair, once white blonde, was now simply white. He was a strong, resilient man, their captain, but no one could look at him and say that he wasn't broken.

'When you get home, find her for me. Tell her what I've done, but don't… don't tell her I still love her. She needs to be able to move on.' Scorpius stopped talking and Gregor nodded once. Scorpius thanked him and turned to face the outer wall, beyond which the enemy lay waiting. Now he had to do what he had to do. He stepped forward and fought for his life, knowing he would not win. He heard the others escaping and as the blackness finally started to creep up over his vision he sent one final prayer up to the God he had never truly believed in to protect his dear, beloved Lily. Then the world pitched and he fell into nothingness.

* * *

He woke a long time later. He was still lying, face down in the blood soaked earth and he could feel the flood seeping out of his front. Scorpius heaved himself upright and inspected his wound. It was long, shallow and only bleeding very lightly. Looking around him he saw the ground was littered not only with the bodies of the enemy, but three others from his squadron. That meant fifteen of his men had survived. Good. Scorpius carefully removed one of the thick jackets from his team members and ripped the cotton covering off to wrap around his middle to help clot the blood. Wincing, Scorpius carefully dug three light graves and heaved the bodies into them, carving simple wooden crosses for his men, hoping it would be enough to let them get their well-earned peace.

Scorpius considered apparating, but his concentration was so fragmented at the moment he doubted he'd be able to do so without splinching. Looked like he was simply going to have to get home the old fashioned way. And so he started his journey that would take him half way across the world and take him nearly two years.

He made it to the nearest town and was immediately taken to the hospital. For once Scorpius didn't mind being treated by the muggles. They may not have magic to enhance the healing, but they sure as hell knew how to make a good pain killer. Scorpius was forced to stay in the hospital for three and a half months of long frustration until the doctors finally declared him well enough to move on. Scorpius thanked them and promised to send his support when he made it home to England. The doctors only shook their heads sadly. So many of their patients promised to get home and help. More often than not they returned within weeks with another injury.

But Scorpius was smart. He died his hair brown and joined the enemy ranks; slowly earning their trust until, a year later, he had control of three hundred-bands whom he sent on a suicide mission into middle of the desert with false promises of a large, powerful oasis. The heat had been almost unbearable, but Scorpius managed to leave the group in the middle or the parched landscape and went to the local authorities anonymously tipping them off. All of the three hundred men were killed either by starvation, dehydration or by the bullets of the peace fighters. The peace fighters soon worked out who tipped them off and Scorpius was welcomed with open arms back into the magical community.

He wanted to go somewhere new, colder, but he wasn't ready to go home yet. They sent him back to Russia, to the city of Archangel. He stayed there for another four months before he got shot in the shoulder. Finally, _finally_, he'd had enough. He had almost died too many times to count and he had given everything to his country and to the peace operatives. What he wanted, what he really, truly wanted, was to return home to his parents and to catch a glimpse of his beautiful Lily. He didn't want any more than a glimpse. She was sure to have moved on by now and he didn't want to bring back painful memories. It had, really, just been a school girl crush she'd harboured for him, anyway.

Which was how, over two years after his supposed death and almost six years after he first left to pay his family's debts to the world, Scorpius arrived at the huge front gates of the Malfoy Mansion.

''Scuse me, sir, but this is private property, are Ma'am and Monsieur Malfoy expecting you?' the gatekeeper asked the haggard soldier gently.

'No, Bill,' Scorpius replied tiredly, addressing the old man the same as he always had. 'I dare say they aren't.'

'Oh my Lord, master Scorpius, is it really you? After all this time?' he exclaimed, quickly opening the gates and allowing the young man in.

'Yes, Bill, I'm home.'

'Well then you best go in. I'm sure they'll love to see you. Mind you're careful, though, Monsieur's heart isn't what it used to be.'

Scorpius nodded and made his way up the long driveway, surprised to see a sleek mahogany car that he didn't recognise. But what was so surprising about his parents having guests over? Scorpius shook his head and knocked gently on the door. The portly, bald man who answered neither recognised him nor was recognised by Scorpius. However, the man led him to the kitchen where the sounds of three people eating and chatting quietly could be heard. Scorpius gently pushed open the door and all three turned to look at him.

'Oh my God,' both Lily and Astoria said at the exact same moment, both of them dropping their wine glasses which landed with loud smashes on the floor. The next moment Scorpius was smothered by his father who pulled him into a rough hug. Lily waved a brief goodbye to Astoria before slipping out of the room. Her heart was doing some kind of stupid acrobatic sequence in her chest, but she had to give them, give _him_ time.

When Draco stepped back Scorpius was both disappointed and unsurprised to see Lily had left. He smiled at his parents and they talked for a short while about little things, the weather, places he'd been, things he'd seen before Astoria took his hand like he was a little boy again and led him up the stairs to his bedroom. Scorpius thanked her quietly and collapsed on to the bed. He slept for three solid days. He finally caught up with all the sleep he'd missed for so long.

Breakfast was an unhurried affair between the three of them, all of them longing to ask questions, but no one saying anything. The smell and taste of bacon and eggs nearly bowled Scorpius over after years of nameless mush. He smiled ruefully at the thought and, after eating, went back to his room and slept longer. He woke up mid-afternoon and realised with a jerk there was someone else in the room. His hand went automatically to his wand, but her soft voice stopped him.

'How long has it been Scorpius?' Lily asked him in a gentle, unassuming tone. 'Six years, nearly. We have so much to talk about.' She turned to face him and he could see from her face that she had been crying. 'I have so many questions for you, but they can wait. You just stay here and get better.'

'I don't think I can, Lily,' he replied in a broken voice.

'Shh,' she murmured into his hair. 'You can and you will. But for now just sleep, sleep and rest.' And she pressed a single kiss onto his forehead before leaving him. It was easier the next time for Scorpius to slip back into a deep, deep sleep.

Lily smiled sadly at Astoria and Draco. 'He's going to be fine,' she said, 'he won't ever be the same again, but he'll live.'

'Thank you Lily, again,' Astoria said, hugging Lily.

'You know full well I'd do anything for your son, Astoria, so please don't thank me. It's just what he deserves.' Lily paused then made a request of them. 'He should be strong enough… this Saturday, if he wants to, I'll pick him up and take him back to my place for a good decent, Potter-made meal.'

'I think that would be lovely,' Astoria said, smiling.

'He's going whether he wants to or not,' Draco said, a ghost of his old smirk appearing on his lips. 'You're a good girl, Potter.'

Lily thanked them and left in her Mahogany car.

Saturday took a long time coming for Lily, then the time between waking up and going to pick up Scorpius seemed to go past in triple speed. All too soon five o'clock rolled around and Lily drew up to the gates of the mansion she had become so familiar with over the past years. He was there already, standing tall and proud, the black cane that he held in his hand barely taking any of his weight at all. Lily smiled at him and went up to greet him.

'Scorpius,' was the only thing she could say.

'I've missed you, Lil,' was the only thing he could say.

Lily smiled slightly and helped Scorpius into her car. The short ride from one side of London around to the other was silent and awkward for both of them, both racking their brains for something, anything to say.

When they arrived outside her house Scorpius half believed that she had moved on – it seemed far too large for just one person, but there was no other car in the driveway and when they went in the table was only set for two.

'How have you been?' he asked.

'Career-wise or just generally?' Lily asked with a smile, checking the food in the cooker and leaning against the polished worktop of the kitchen counters.

'Both,' he replied, trying to give her a smile in return.

'Well career-wise, great. I'm head of my division at St Mungos, I earn enough to be able to buy out this house, and the car and a lot more, if I wanted to. Life's been good to me.'

'But generally?' Scorpius prodded, catching, as usual, the undercurrent beneath her carefree tones.

Lily looked up and stared him straight in the eye. 'Not so good,' she replied earnestly.

Silence fell on them again until it was broken by the too optimistic _ping_ of the cooker. Lily smiled broadly and jumped up to pull the food out and presented him with a huge plate of spaghetti bolognaise. 'Hey,' she said, 'it doesn't take a mastermind to make and it tastes freaking delicious!' And for the first time in ages Scorpius really _smiled_.

Conversation over dinner was slightly awkward and, as they avoided the taboo subject Lily told Scorpius about her years after Hogwarts.

'We thought you were dead for two years, Scorpius, why didn't you send word?' Lily asked finally, long after the plates had been cleared of food.

'I wasn't going to come home,' he said carefully as he stood slowly from the table.

'Nu-uh, I'm not taking you home until we have out with this,' Lily said, directing him into the large, comfortable living room. 'Now you're going to tell me why you weren't going to come home.'

Scorpius sighed and explained. 'After I had sacrificed myself for my men, even though I had lived I still felt as though I was dead. I've seen so much, Lily. You have no idea what kind of horrors are out there.' His voice broke and Lily longed to wrap him up in hers arms, but she still couldn't tell where she stood with him.

'I work in a hospital, Scorpius. I have people come to me with live or die situations. Sometimes I can save them, sometimes I can't. I've seen what humanity can do to itself, believe me.' Lily assured him.

Scorpius looked at Lily for a long time and although he felt as though he should be angry that she presumed she knew, he couldn't bring to himself. Her last statement wasn't just about the people she attended to at the hospital. She was talking about _him_. They sat a while longer in silence, an understanding forming between them. 'What about you're family, how are they?' Scorpius asked in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

'You know James is married? Well, he's expecting their second child and Albus and his wife have decided to go to America of all places and live there and Rose is happily settled with her boyfriend of three years.'

'And you?'

Lily turned to look at him, her Butterscotch eyes burning into him. 'I've been here, waiting,' she whispered, her voice hoarse. 'Everyone kept telling me that I had to move on, but you know what? I didn't. I couldn't. I dated you for two measly little years and then you disappear for four years and then you're supposed to be _dead_ for two years, but I still can't let go. I've waited so long, Scorpius.'

Scorpius looked at her, slightly shocked. How was it even possible. They'd grown up so much, they didn't even know each other anymore. 'Lily – ' he stopped. What excuse from his repertoire was he going to give her. He'd had six long years to come up with them, after all. 'I'm not the boy you fell in love with. Six years broke me,' he choked out.

Lily searched his eyes desperately for something that might be counted as hope, but realised that the man before her hadn't had hope for a long time. There was no doubt that he still loved her, she could see it clear as daylight in his eyes. So Lily moved up against him on the sofa and wrapped her arms around him and whispered in his ear, 'I'll mend you, Scorpius, I'll save you,' over and over as the barrier broke and for the first time since he was six Scorpius wept in her arms.

He wept for all the death he had seen.

He wept for all the years he had lost.

He wept for the burden he was upon Lily.

He wept for the pain he had caused his family.

And he wept for all those little moments back when he was seventeen and she was fifteen and they stole kisses between lessons and snuck out onto the roofs after dark and when she had won another game for Slytherin and he had lifted her up into the air and span her round and round and round.

He wept for what have should have been and he wept in the pure miraculous-ness that said he might have another chance with this flame-haired beauty he had had the nerve to fall in love with.

* * *

The next few months, even years, weren't easy. It took a very long time for Lily to find enough pieces of Scorpius to put him back together again and make him smile. But eventually, eventually, she could make him laugh again. Scorpius would never forget what he had seen and when it became clear to his parents that Lily helped keep the shadows at bay they invited her to move in to the mansion. Lily, who practically lived there anyway, gladly, if a little guiltily, accepted. Scorpius had smiled painfully widely when she had arrived at their door with all her bags and announced she was here to stay. Lily continued to work as a doctor, but stepped down from her position of responsibility so she could spend as much time as possible helping Scorpius.

The general wizarding population still shunned the Malfoys slightly until Lily had made a very loud, startling speech about what Scorpius had done to help make the peace. When they had called her biased she had cried freely in front of them, asking how many of them had barely a spare inch of skin that didn't have a scar. Then Scorpius had stepped up and wrapped an arm protectively around her waist and everyone could see the hard blazed look of a man who had seen too much death to be doubted. And though there were still whispers of uncertainty, they were quickly scolded away by others.

And at last Scorpius and Lily were left to pick up the pieces of their lives and carry on to live their happily ever after.

* * *

'Mummy, mummy!' the little girl cried out, jumping up onto her mothers lap and bouncing there excitedly. 'Daddy's home!' she shrieked excitedly, before slipping down and running off to greet her father.

Scorpius scooped up the three year old and plonked her on his shoulders, walking into the kitchen and giving his wife a long kiss.

'Eeeeeewwwww!' Ruby exclaimed, kicking her father's shoulders.

'Ok, ok, down you go,' Scorpius said, lifting her up then swinging her back down to the floor.

'I've something to tell you,' Lily said happily, standing and wrapping her arms around her husband.

'Oh? And what's that?' he asked, the family smirk appearing on his lips.

'Mummy's pregnant,' their daughter announced huffily, clearly put out at being missed from their hug. 'What's pregnant mean?' she asked after a moment's thought.

'It means you're going to have a little brother or sister,' Scorpius said, his eyes shining brightly and brilliantly into Lily's.

'Are you going to love me less, then?' Ruby asked, immediately pouting, her eyes widening to epic proportions.

Lily leant down and picked up her daughter, nestling her against her waist. 'No, love, of course not. It just means you get a younger sibling to pick on.' Lily's eyes sparkled as she glanced sideways at Scorpius, who rolled his eyes.

'Oh, well that's ok then,' Ruby announced with a huge grin.

Scorpius and Lily shared a long look that said all they needed to know; life was perfect. All was well.

_

* * *

A/N Fluuuuuuffy ending! Woot! And totally cliché, too, LOL. So, did you guys like it? I sure as hell enjoyed writing it! Leave me a message and some love, please!  
__Cally xxx_


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